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Memorial Day Poker Tournaments

Memorial Day weekend is a great time to play poker. Whether you are in Los Angeles, San Diego or the Central Valley of California, there is a tournament near you.

The Normandie Casino in Gardena, California, will be hosting its $10,000 Memorial Day Poker Tournament on May 30 at 1 p.m. The $85 buy-in tournament features 10,000 starting chips, and the first three rounds will be 30 minutes. All subsequent rounds will be 20 minutes. There are no rebuys or add-ons

The newly-opened Gardens Casino in Hawaiian Gardens, California, is the most beautiful cardroom in Los Angeles and the largest card room in the world. To celebrate its completion, the Gardens is holding its $75,000 No-Limit Hold’em Main Event in the Inaugural Gardens Poker Festival.

Starting at 12:15 p.m., the $320 buy-in tournament has no rebuys or add-ons. The series began on May 15 and concludes on Tuesday, May 31 with a unique No-Limit Hold’em Tournament Turbo Steps Tournament.

With three starting times at 10 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. and buy-ins ranging from $25 to $110, 40% advance to the next step, the $20,000 No-Limit Hold’em Turbo Steps Poker Festival Finale at 4 p.m. The Gardens Poker Festival featured over $1,000,000 in guarantees, and I hope it becomes a regular part of the poker circuit in Los Angeles.

Ocean’s 11 Casino in Oceanside, California, will present its annual Memorial Day Tournament on May 30 at 10 a.m. The $240 buy-in tournament features an estimated $50,000 prize pool. Last year the prize pool swelled to $69,000.

Players start with 10,000 starting chips, and for a $10 optional staff add-on, they can receive an additional 2,000 chips. The tournament features 30 minute levels, and there is no re-entry permitted.

Registration opens one hour before the start of the tournament and continues until the end of the first break. The tournament is limited to the first 300 players. According to tournament director Anthony Canlas, a free bbq will be provided for the players.

In Fresno, California, Club One Casino will present the 8th Annual Memorial Day 100 which runs from May 28-30 and features a $30,000 guarantee. The $125 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em tournament features two starting days on May 28 and 29.

The top 20% advance to Day 2 on May 30. All three days start at 2:15 p.m. Last year the tournament had over 377 entrants, and Club One is expecting another tremendous turn-out.

Patricia Chavira is a freelance writer and social media consultant specializing in poker. She writes a column called the “Poker Scene” for Gaming Today. Follow her on Twitter @pinkchippoker.